Jennifer Sawyer’s penthouse in LA was a lavish, two story house overlooking the ocean that was very stylish but Dr. Rawlings and the other scientists took note that there were no personal photos or indications that Sawyer had a hobby or an interest in anything at all. It was without personality. Some chalked it up to the penthouse only being a summer home and others didn’t care since there was gourmet food in the main room which also contained a bar with free liquor. Wally and Kim entered the main room, gazing up at the chandelier above them while Astra followed. “There they are,” Rawlings slurred as he approached clumsily, “Wally, Kim and our little robo-friend.”

“It’s nice to see you again, Dr. Rawlings,” Astra greeted him, “I’m sensing strange vapors from your breath.”

“So how’s the bar?,” Kim asked humorously.

“Fully stocked. It’s not as high end as I expected but it’s bushernik,” as Rawlings sputtered out the last word, neither Wally nor Kim bothered to ask him to repeat, “So as it turns out, Sawyer is buying us out. No lawyers. Just money and an understanding that we just let things be. We’re all getting fat and sloppy, so come join us.”

“Where’s Sawyer now?,” Wally asked as he scanned the small gathering of progressively stuffed and drunk scientists.

“She’s upstairs, waiting for you, I think… She’s not nearly as awful as I thought she’d be… Still cold… but not awful.”

“Might as well have some of those crab cakes and a drink while we wait,” Wally said as he eyed the large table full of food in the center of the room.

“You made it,” he heard a voice from the direction of the winding staircase. He and Kim looked up to see Jennifer Sawyer at the top, still wearing the all black ensemble she was famous for. “Wally. Kim. It’s nice to meet the two of you in person,” she made her way down the staircase and once she was on the ground floor, she took a long look at Astra, her eyes lighting up with fascination, “Hello, Astra Machina.”

“You can call me Astra,” she shook her hand.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Jennifer Sawyer, the CEO of Nantox Industries. You started this company 15 years ago, based around your research in nanotechnology. You are considered one of the smartest and wealthiest people on Earth.”

She gave a flattered laugh, “I don’t know about the smartest person in the world but you seem to have done research.”

“Oh, yes. I do research all the time. For instance, I can determine Dr. Rawlings has a blood-alcohol content of 0.12% due to analyzing his breath.”

“Sounds right to me,” Rawlings said happily and loudly.

Astra leaned toward Kim and tried her best to whisper, “And I know not to bring up the controversial tax loopholes or the Costa Tristan sweatshop that violated human rights.”

Jennifer was silent and her face was blank, which made the awkward moment even worse.

“We’re still working on filters,” Wally smiled nervously.

“The situation in Costa Triste was unfortunate,” she said finally and then motioned toward the staircase, “Before you help yourselves to the comestibles, I’d like to speak to the both of you in private.”

“Sure,” Kim turned to Astra, “We’ll be right back.”

Rawlings put an arm around Astra’s shoulder, “So tell me about the little adventure you had.”

“Wally and Kim said it wasn’t a good idea to talk about the aliens,” she stated bluntly, which elicited a stunned silence from Rawlings.

Sawyer led Kim and Wally to the upper conference room which had wall-length windows in all directions, leather couches and a minibar. She pressed a button on her desk and the lights changed as dark shades covered the windows. “Privacy is a concern for me,” she explained.

Wally noticed he could no longer hear the party down stairs, “Is this room soundproof?”

“Of course,” she sat on the edge of her desk, “I understand you had a few run-ins on your way here. You were questioned by the IMD correct?”

Kim fumbled nervously once again, “Yes, after the jet malfunction. We didn’t know how to -“

“Don’t worry about it,” she waved a friendly hand at them, “It’s not the first time the authorities investigated something tangibly related to me. I’ve come to accept the fact some people are threatened by me and as I’ve not committed a crime, there’s nothing to fear.”

“So what else did you want to speak to us about?,” Wally asked.

“As you probably know, I have decided to give all employees of the Montauk lab a sizeable compensation for the accident under the assurance they won’t go to the media or other entities who wish to bend the truth concerning me and my enterprise. Since the two of you spent more time with Astra Machina and delivered her to me personally, I am willing to pay you both a larger sum of money: a quarter million each.”

“Uh… B-buh…,” Wally stammered.

“In exchange, I would like the two of you to tell me what findings, if any, you discovered while traveling with our friend downstairs.”

“We should warn you there are entities who tried to take Astra for their own purposes,” Kim spoke up, “Very dangerous entities.”

“I’m sure of it and I have taken certain precautions.”

Downstairs, Astra poked a curious finger into the truffle on the large banquet table in the center of the room. The dozen scientists in attendance had gotten their fill and had retired to the furniture, drinks in hand as they watched a movie on the large screen along the wall. She noticed one woman slumped over in a chair, unconscious. “Is she okay?,” Astra asked. “Just had too much to drink,” Rawlings chuckled, “She’s a light weight.”

Upstairs, Kim asked a question that had been on her mind, “If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly do you want from Astra?”

Sawyer smiled warmly, “As you might have guessed, understanding her programming would revolutionize AI and robotics and I want our company at the forefront. The two of you are making that happen.”

“And what if Astra decides to leave?,” Wally asked.

The warm smile did not fade, “I prefer that she stay and I think it’s safest for all involved.”

“You must understand, Ms Sawyer, Astra is alive,” Kim explained.

Downstairs, Astra noticed one of the scientists blinking heavily before leaning over to a colleague, “Think I’m gonna get a cab”. His friend slurred back but otherwise remained on the couch. She turned to Rawlings who was rubbing his forehead but was otherwise not his talkative self. Once she noticed most of the guests were in the same state, she analyzed the truffle still on her finger.

Upstairs, Sawyer walked over to the minibar and began pouring two glasses from a decanter, “I understand there might he some fondness for Astra in much the same way a person might be very fond of the family car from their childhood.”

“She is fully autonomous,” Wally explained further, “She’s gradually learning social norms, the sanctity of life…”

“When you use Siri or Alexa, do they not respond accordingly? Do you not hear a human voice responding to you? They have the illusion of life but at the end of the day, we all know it’s only code.”

The scientist headed for the door of the penthouse downstairs but stumbled, finally falling flat on his face. Astra looked at him with concern and once she finished analyzing the food, she made a horrific discovery. She turned to Rawlings and shouted for his help as he was the only other person she knew, “Dr. Rawlings…” but she could see it was too late. He wasn’t moving.

Sawyer walked toward Kim and Wally, holding the two glasses, “And I assure you, she will be taken care of. She is just as important to me as she is to you.”

“Maybe but… we still don’t think we can accept your money,” Kim said solemnly.

“I understand,” Sawyer raised the glasses to them, “But I hope this does not sour our relationship. How about a toast… to reaching an understanding in the future?”

Kim and Wally looked down, not taking the glasses.

“I saved the good stuff for the three of us,” Sawyer smiled, “The least you can do is share a drink.”

Astra burst into the room, her hand stretching out and curving around Wally and Kim before slapping the glasses to the floor. The three of them turned to her, stunned. “She poisoned the food,” Astra shouted, “Everyone is dead downstairs. Even Dr. Rawlings.” Wally and Kim turned back to Sawyer who now had an angrier look on her face.

“I was hoping to do this quietly,” she clenched her fist and strange ripples ran along her veins.